The maid nodded her agreement. "Her Highness will cross that road when she gets there. There are certainly other potential candidates for the princess to engage, but you were always her first choice. And once Her Highness confirmed that you could sire an heir with her, that sealed the deal in her eyes," Ruotha explained.
"Thank you for sharing Camellia's thoughts with me," Luka said and bowed.
"The princess desires to set your heart at ease; she authorized me to discuss her thoughts frankly. Her Highness highly values this engagement and wants to see its fruition at the appropriate time."
Chapter 101
Marriage Discussion
Luka entered the school and walked toward a deserted area. He immediately teleported back to the Heavensfell estate because Luka needed to discuss the engagement with his mother.
The servants noticed his unexpected arrival and made preparations inside the house. They needed to prepare hot water for his bath, and the chef must cook up more food for Luka and his voracious pets.
As Luka walked, he heard the whistling of sword swings. Luka winced when he recognized the sound. He headed over to the courtyard and confirmed his suspicion: Duchess Silverblade was the practitioner.
Luka watched quietly and waited for his mother to end her practice.
Some ten minutes later, Juliette finally spoke up. "Grab a wooden sword and spar with me," she ordered.
The son sighed inwardly, took a practice sword from the rack, and settled into a martial stance before his mother.
Without warning, Juliette tested his guard with a heavy blow to his weapon! Whack!
Luckily, Luka held his stick in a two-handed grip, or else the sword would fly across the courtyard. Before he could muster a counterattack, Luka's opponent launched serpentine-like strikes to his vital points!
The mother was pleasantly surprised at her son's quick reflex. The duchess feared that Luka focused on learning magic to the detriment of his swordplay and physical conditioning. The experienced sword fighter utilized only 50% of her speed. Juliette held back because this was a friendly spar designed to probe her son's current sword skills. Fortunately, Luka's martial ability had not atrophied too much.
Juliette steadily increased her sword speed until it reached 70%. Although the swordswoman held back a bit, Juliette took advantage of her Critical Insight to attack her son's weak spots. She hoped that her pupil would notice and work on eliminating these flaws in the future.
By this time, Luka's tired eyes could not keep up with his hands. He failed to block an attack and received a hit on his wrist. The sudden pain forced his grip to loosen, and the practice stick hit the ground. Whack! Luka shook his hand in a vain attempt to remove the numbness.
Juliette took this opportunity to press her advantage. She pointed the tip of her stick at his lips. "Who did you kiss?" she began her interrogation.
Bel chuckled. [Are you in trouble now!]
Luka experienced a deer-in-headlight moment before his face turned calm. "Princess Camellia invited me to her residence," he answered honestly. "Her Highness held a good impression of me and wishes to marry me."
"So that kiss of hers was part of her enticement for your engagement," the duchess sneered as she threw a small mirror at Luka.
The son caught the item and used it to examine his lips. Luka winced at the lipstick mark and furiously wiped it off with the back of his hand. However, he failed to eradicate the stain.
Duchess Silverblade sighed as she pulled out a lightly-scented, white handkerchief and handed it to him. She felt mixed emotions in her heart because Luka had left her care when he was only five years old. Returning a decade later, he had become an adult considering marriage already! Juliette experienced bitterness in her heart because she missed his growing years.
The duchess spent this past decade mired in loneliness. But their reunion was Juliette's ONLY hope as she led a treacherous life as a widow heading a dukedom. Of course, Juliette was relatively young and received many calls and inquiries for marriage. But she politely declined all offers while citing the need to groom Luka to take over the Heavensfell Duchy. Thus, the independent woman felt annoyed at the royal family for luring her precious son.
Juliette calmly pushed aside her inner turmoil and focused on her son's future well-being. "Do you like Princess Camellia?" she asked bluntly.
Luka blushed at the inquiry. "I don't know her that well. She's pretty and smart. We seem well-matched," he answered honestly.
"Do you understand the implications of marrying into the royal family?"
"Yes, I've already thought about it. My top priority is to protect you, mother. I haven't forgotten about the past assassination attempts. But I fear that my magical powers, however awesome, are insufficient," Luka revealed his misgivings.
"Go on," she encouraged him.
"In my mind, the church is the biggest threat we face as the Heavensfell duke house. They also have an antagonistic relationship with the royal family," Luka continued. "The enormous influence of the church can easily threaten both of us and remove us from power. Hence, we should form a marriage alliance," he concluded.
"In other words, you plan on using the royalty as an umbrella against the church?" the mother interrupted.
"Exactly," Luka confirmed with a nod. "My engagement with Princess Camellia would force the royal family to devote more resources than otherwise to ensure our safety."
"But you're also giving the enemies of the royal family additional motivation to hurt us," Juliette pointed out.
"While that's true, I'm betting that the forces belonging to the royal family are stronger than their enemies. That's the first reason I agreed to marry Camellia. Secondly, I am the son of a duke house. Socially, I could either marry up or down. Frankly, joining royalty by marriage will raise the social status of the Heavensfell clan. Alternatively, the elven princess also expressed interest in me. But if I marry into the Delfrir Royal Family, I may need to leave this kingdom; I'm not prepared to live that far away from our ancestral land," Luka explained his thoughts in greater depth.
Juliette sighed helplessly. She felt comforted upon discovery that Luka gave serious consideration to his marriage and not guided solely by his dick. The mother could not fault his reasoning for agreeing to marry Princess Camellia either. "If this is your wish, then I will contact the king to finalize the engagement," she said in defeat.
"Thank you, mother."
"It's what I should do as your parent," Juliette replied with a faint smile and a shake of her head. "You should head inside and freshen up. Hanna will call you for dinner."
"Yes, mother." Luka followed the beautiful woman into the family manor. Soon, he entered his room and took a bath with Hanna's assistance. Then the young master took a nap.
Sometime later, she woke him. "Young master, dinner is ready."
Luka rubbed his sleepy eyes and quickly entered the bathroom to wash his face. Then he changed his clothes and went into the dining room. He saw a platter of food placed on the table before him. Luka noticed Bel and Gripper noisily eating their meals at a corner of the room.
Hanna removed the lid over his plate to unveil tonight's meal: mutton chop with carrots on the side.
Luka made a face because he hated eating carrots. The son quickly realized that his mother ordered the chef to serve this food as Luka's punishment. The son assumed that Juliette was unhappy that he formed an engagement with Princess Camellia without consulting his mother. Even if Juliette disagreed, she couldn't back out without insulting the Royal Family.
Mother and son ate their food in silence while attended by several maids and butlers. The duchess ate very little but drank several glasses of wine. Her face was contemplative at times as Juliette watched Luka eat. The mother was surprised to see his willingness to eat the carrots, and she secretly approved his tolerance as a sign of his growing maturity.
Juliette felt tempted to ask Luka about his period of seclusion and training under Alectos. But ultimately, she declined to inquire fu
rther for two reasons. First, the duchess knew very little about magic; hence, such a discussion would be fruitless if not outright embarrassing for her.
Second, Juliette wished to treat her son as a mature adult; therefore, Luka should keep certain things secret from his mother. If her son felt this information was urgent for Juliette to know, Luka would naturally inform her. The point, though, was that Luka's control served as a form of responsibility.
In Juliette's eyes, her son's ability to keep secrets was crucial if he truly marries Princess Camellia. Once Luka became her husband, he would become privy to sovereign matters. If the princess believes that her spouse would blabber national secrets to others, Camellia will not trust him. This lack of trust, in turn, would weaken their marriage. Since Juliette wished to avoid this outcome, Luka should start his practice of keeping secrets.
Duchess Silverblade recognized that her method of raising her son was controversial. But she believed that Luka's ability to keep and maintain secrecy was a critical factor in his survival along with the Heavensfell duke house.
Luka's lack of an aristocratic education was problematic because he departed from the duchy to receive magic training under Alectos. While this was an incredible honor for the child, his ten-years separation meant that Luka wasn't familiar with the Heavensfell duchy. Its valuable properties included the two dozen wineries, ten iron mines, plus a secret but small adamantine vein.
The mother felt the onset of a headache thinking about getting her son up to speed on his education and becoming the proper successor of the Heavensfell Duchy. Additionally, Luka will leave home soon to return to the academy.
Duchess Silverblade sighed softly. The mother wondered if she made the right decision permitting Luka to train in seclusion for ten years. Frankly, Juliette expected him to return after five years. That would provide the boy enough time to learn everything he needed to know to take over as head of the Heavensfell Clan. She fervently hoped that Luka learned enough life-saving magic to compensate for the additional five years of training under Alectos.
* * *
Pope Demetrius prayed in the small chapel. When he finished, a priest helped the elder return to his feet. The church leader glanced at his assistant's face. "Brother Raffe, what news do you have for me?" he asked with a kind smile.
"My apologies for disturbing your prayer, Your Holiness. My sources just learned that King Morninglory and Duchess Silverblade confirmed the engagement of Princess Camellia and Young Lord Luka Heavensfell," the messenger reported.
The pope sat in the pew and emitted a groan in relief; the pain in his achy back lessened. He gestured for Raffe to sit, too. "What are your thoughts on this union between the royal family and the Heavensfell duke house? Do you agree or disagree with it?"
"The Morninglory Kingdom is our vassal nation. If Altima's Godson marries into the royal family, then we will strengthen our control over the country," Raffe answered.
Pope Demetrius smiled faintly at this response because it focused only on benefits to the church organization. "But how would Prince Josen react to this engagement?" he asked pointedly.
The pope's companion blanched because Raffe hadn't considered what Josen would do. A herd of pegasuses trampled First Prince Yarek to death after lightning struck First Queen Ariela. Both events occurred after the failed assassination attempt on Luka Heavensfell's life a decade ago.
The citizens assumed that the late queen had put the hit on Altima's Godson and incurred divine punishment. Her daughter Alexandria became insane and jumped off the roof. Thus, King Joram's remaining children were Josen and Camellia.
These instances cast a dark cloud over the royal family and made its surviving members more obedient to the church. Thus, the popular parlor game amongst aristocrats was when the organization would control the entire kingdom.
"Prince Josen won't dare to incur divine wrath by opposing Luka's marriage," Raffe declared. "Besides, the prince could marry the elvish princess and unite the two kingdoms. That way, Josen could also become a successor to the elvish throne."
"Do you think the Delfrir royal family would accept a son of their people's murderers?" the pope retorted. "Even though my predecessor had declared the Religious Wars against the Delfrir Kingdom, it was Morninglory's armies which attacked the elves. Thus, they hate anyone who carries the Morninglory surname and would rebel if Josen takes the throne."
"Luka, on the other hand, became Alectos's official disciple. This acceptance by the elven god of magic makes Luka far more suitable as Princess Kaylessa's husband," Demetrius argued.
"Secondly, the elves enjoy a much longer lifespan than humans. By the time Josen becomes as old as me, the current Delfrir king would remain on the throne. No, Josen wouldn't fare much better even if he marries Kaylessa," the pope concluded.
"How should we deal with the prince?" Raffe asked. "If he sticks around, his supporters might stir up trouble for Camellia," he warned.
The pope nodded. "We're going to send him on a goodwill trip to the Varlus continent as Morninglory's ambassador to the Delfrir Kingdom. His secret task is to pursue Kaylessa's hand in marriage," Demetrius replied.
Raffe became confused by this plan. "But we just concluded that the elves would reject him for his family's role in the Religious Wars. What's the point of making Prince Josen go there?"
"Exile. If the leader is missing, his supporters can't rally around him to prevent Camellia's marriage to Luka. Not effectively, anyway," the elder replied.
The confidant finally understood why the pope was discussing this sensitive matter with him. Raffe originally came from an aristocratic background before he renounced those family ties to join the church. Thus, the cleric developed a good understanding of how nobles think and behave.
Raffe wholeheartedly agreed that exiling Prince Josen was the best method to pave Princess Camellia's way to succeed the throne. Whether she was willing to serve as a figurehead under the church's control was another matter, though.
"How would you deal with the princess?" Raffe asked.
"Sooner or later, Luka will sacrifice his life to protect the world. The only question is when; this may occur tomorrow, a year from now, or decades later. Every inheritor of the Divine Summoner bloodline had met the same fate, and Luka's won't be any different than his predecessors."
"But Camellia will remain behind as the surviving widow of a hero with full control over the most prosperous duchy in the kingdom. If she gives birth to the next Divine Summoner, Camellia will become the world's most powerful person. I think Camellia would find that appealing and cooperate with us to make it happen," the pope explained.
"So you're going to appeal to her with power? That might work."
Chapter 102
Fallout of a Royal Union
After Juliette's frank discussion with her son, the duchess summoned Hanna to her study.
Luka's exclusive maid quietly knocked on the door and entered once Juliette granted permission. "You asked to see me, Your Excellency?" Hanna said in a polite voice as she curtsied.
"Have a seat," the duchess ordered.
The maid felt reluctant to sit down because it wasn't proper for a mere servant to take a seat before a high-ranking aristocrat. But when Juliette tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently, Hanna lost her nerve. The servant sat down and squirmed in her seat like a scared animal.
"I wish to discuss a private matter with you strictly between two women. Thus, I am dispensing with the proper protocol between master and servant," the duchess explained. "Among the workers in my estate, you spend the most amount of time with Luka. So I want to share important news with you regarding my son. Luka is now engaged to Princess Camellia."
Hanna's body trembled as she felt pain in her heart. Remembering where she was, the maid bravely wrestled to regain control over her emotion. She fought back her tears and disappointment. Hanna took a deep breath and said, "I offer my congratulations. I apologize for showing you my unsightly state." The young woman bowed
her head.
"Do you know why I chose you to serve as my son's exclusive maid?" Juliette asked.
Hanna shook her head.
"You are a young and attractive woman with good family background and excellent character. I thought that if my son turned astray, you would help steer him back on the righteous path. I also hoped that Luka would treat you as his friend and confidant because he sorely lacks them," the duchess revealed.
"I'm very humbled by your assessment," the young woman replied.
"Luka has grown into a fine young man, and I'm very proud to call him my son. But when it comes to matters of the heart, Luka needs proper guidance. It's clear to me that you have romantic feelings for him. Can I count on you to support him -- as a woman?"
Juliette placed a glass vial containing a dark red liquid on the table. "This is a love potion. If you choose to devote your body and soul to Luka, then drink half and give him the rest."
Hanna did not hesitate to pick up the love potion. "I will use it tonight," she declared.
"Good!" Juliette approved of Hanna's firm resolve.
* * *
Luka's mind was in a daze after his frank discussion with his mother. Since Luka was the heir of the Heavensfell duke house, he must marry and leave offsprings to carry the family name. The world's future depends on it.
However, Luka didn't expect his mother to offer lukewarm support for his engagement to Princess Camellia. Although he shared his thoughts on why this political marriage made sense, the duchess thought otherwise.
That said, Juliette couldn't unilaterally annul the engagement without offending the king. Thus, she needed to convince the princess to break off the relationship on her initiative. Luka wondered what his mother planned to do next, and he had a hunch that something would happen soon.
After supper, Luka returned to his room and took a hot, soothing bath with Hanna's expert assistance. After she wiped his body dry, the young woman did not wrap a towel around his body. Instead, Hanna stood before him -- naked.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 82
